Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Updates

I thought you might like to know how some of my little experiments are going so I think an update is in order.

Winter GardeningI saw the first green in my winter sown containers yesterday. The radishes are already putting on their first true leaves. The other containers are in a slightly more shaded area and are still pretty much frozen solid.

Lettuce under lightsI am thrilled at the amount of greens I have been able to produce under the cheap shop lights. I planted in early January and am able to eat a large dinner salad every night from the containers I have growing. In fact things were going so well, I added more lettuce containers, spinach, mache, beets for greens and radishes.

Potatoes in potsMy large pot containing a store bought potato that sprouted is now full to the top with soil. Since the pot is full I will just have to wait a couple months for the plant to finish growing and for the top to finally die off to see how this experiment works. I have the pot sitting so it is just barely under the end of the shop light. I wrapped the end of the light and the pot with foil a few days ago to give the potato as much light as possible. It really greened up and looks really healthy.

Garden planningThis is still ever changing. I am in a swap for cuttings and have lots of different food items coming. I also received an incredible variety of seeds through friends from Garden Web and I want to plant at least a 1 foot square of each of them. Looks like I need to get the plans out once again.

PropagatingThe propagator I made works beautifully! I used it to root things to send out in the cuttings swap. The geraniums rooted well and some of the hard wood cuttings had little root nodes starting. I did learn that the geraniums did not like the top on the container yet the hard wood cuttings did. Next time, I will simply make more than one and keep the different types of plants separated.

Worm binThe worms appear happy and are doing their magic. Things are getting broken down on the bottom and I have a thin layer of castings. Not bad for only a half pound of worms. I am positive that next spring I will have enough for all my little seedlings.

Simple sprouterI am enjoying different types of sprouts pretty much daily in my salads. These are a great addition to the lettuces and greens for added flavor and nutrition. I especially like the radish sprouts which add just a little bit of zing to the salads. I am not a fan of a cut up radish but really enjoy them as sprouts.

Maple syrupThis is working out so well. Yeah it takes a lot of sap to make just a little bit of syrup but for me it is so worth it. I simply put a pot on outside and keep adding sap a little at a time while doing spring clean up chores outside. The first batch was at more of a simmer than a boil and made a flavor like a cross between honey and butterscotch. It tastes amazing and is wonderful on biscuits. I actually prefer this to the taste of maple. I may make another batch later on and put it away just for me!

Well spring is in the air so I am sure there will be much more action to come so please come back and visit me soon in My Little Corner of the World. Kim

1 comment:

Angelady
said...

Awesome updates, Kim! I have seen so many blogs, but none really capture me to keep coming back like yours... shhhh... don't tell anyone... I have a lot of friends with blogs... LOL... I may not always post a comment, but I love reading here!

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About Me

Well this is probably going to be boring but here goes...I have been married for 26 years. My husband came into our marriage with a daughter, Jessica, who is married to Corey and they have given us 2 grandkids, Jada and CJ. Together my husband and I have 2 children, Melissa and John. Melissa is married to Nick who are trying to give us another grandchild. Our youngest, John, is married to Shawna and they have given us our third grandchild, Jordan.
I work as a Registered Nurse in the Intensive Care Unit. I work long hours and crazy shifts but, I love what I do.
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